Senior Research Manager / Research Director - Tanzania

About Imagine Worldwide Tanzania

All children have immense potential, but hundreds of millions don’t have access to the learning they need. Imagine Worldwide believes that every child should be empowered with the basic right to literacy and numeracy. We provide an innovative education technology solution and implementation model to the global literacy/numeracy learning crisis, using the onebillion application and various toolkits and systems to support implementation. Our model is massively scalable, evidence-based, and can deliver foundational learning to millions of the most marginalized children.

Imagine Worldwide partners with governments, organizations, and communities to provide child-directed, tablet-based learning that is accessible, effective, and affordable. We are a California-based (United States) nonprofit organization operating across seven Sub-Saharan African countries. Learn more on our website.

 

About the Role

The new Senior Research Manager or Research Director will play an instrumental role in carrying out Imagine’s mission, contributing to measuring the performance of Imagine’s tablet program as it expands in Tanzania, informing continuous improvement of program implementation and software, and addressing government needs for evidence. The position will combine research expertise, project management, and professional relationship management. 

 

As a senior member of Imagine’s Global research team, the Senior Research Manager or Research Director will work closely with Imagine’s Executive Head of Research, other members of the Imagine research team, in-country research partners, and the Imagine Tanzania country team to manage a multi-method research portfolio to ensure that learning outcomes and implementation quality are maintained during program expansion and support continued government engagement with the research. The role involves managing the execution of contracts and related budgets with in-country research partners; coordinating research schedules and activities with the Imagine Tanzania country team and appropriate government representatives; listening to internal and external stakeholders to inform research activities and identify possible new research needs; and managing research ethics applications. In collaboration with the Executive Head of Research and Imagine’s country team leaders, the Senior Research Manager or Research Director will liaise with government stakeholders of the tablet program and respond as appropriate to government questions and requests related to research on the tablet program. The Senior Research Manager or Research Director will be expected to collaborate closely with Imagine’s research team and the Imagine Tanzania country team to understand research goals and priorities and report on their progress, while working independently to execute on the goals and priorities. The successful candidate will demonstrate expertise in either quantitative or qualitative research methodologies (both are preferred) in addition to experience managing research projects. Over time, the Senior Research Manager or Research Director is expected to assume increasing responsibility for shaping, conducting, and overseeing the research portfolio in Tanzania.

 

To be considered for the Research Director position, the candidate must demonstrate substantial research expertise in one or more relevant areas (such as impact research, survey research, implementation research, assessment, analysis of extant administrative data, or other relevant area), including experience directing research and publishing in the area.

 

Key Responsibilities

The Senior Research Manager or Research Director will report to Imagine’s Executive Head of Research with a dotted-line reporting relationship to the Imagine Tanzania Executive Director for in-country coordination, and will work closely with the Imagine Tanzania country team, research partners, government stakeholders, and the broader Imagine research team. Responsibilities will include, but will not be limited to the following:

Research Management and Quality Assurance

• Oversee implementation of Imagine’s multi-method research portfolio in Tanzania, including annual baseline and endline learning assessments, annual stakeholder survey, ongoing implementation research, among other activities, and any future research;
• Ensure high-quality execution of the research activities;
• Coordinate research schedules and activities with the Imagine Tanzania country team and appropriate government representatives;
• Manage contracts with in-country research partners and related budgets; 
• Monitor research timelines and deliverables across multiple concurrent research activities to ensure effective and timely implementation and proactively address risks or implementation challenges;
• Manage research ethics application processes and ensure adherence to all research ethics and data governance requirements;
• Ensure effective documentation and tracking of research activities and outputs.

Partnership & Stakeholder Management

• Manage relationships with in-country research partners, ensuring effective collaboration and delivery against agreed objectives;
• Coordinate research activities with the Imagine Tanzania country team and relevant government stakeholders;
• Liaise with government representatives regarding research findings, requests, and evidence needs related to the tablet program;
• Support ongoing government engagement through credible, relevant, and accessible research insights, in collaboration with the broader Imagine research team.

Research Relevance, Design & Reporting

• Support the development of contextually relevant research studies;
• Contribute expertise in quantitative and/or qualitative research methodologies to the design and implementation of the studies;
• Support the analysis, interpretation, and communication of research findings for internal and external stakeholders;
• Support translation of research insights into practical recommendations to inform program improvement and strategic decision-making.

Team Collaboration & Capability Building

• Collaborate closely with the Executive Head of Research and broader Imagine research team to align on priorities and progress;
• Work independently to drive execution while maintaining strong communication and coordination across the Imagine research team and Imagine Tanzania country team;
• Contribute to strengthening research capability, systems, and ways of working within the organization;
• Over time, assume increasing responsibility for shaping, conducting, and overseeing the research portfolio in Tanzania.

If hired as a Research Director, additional responsibilities will include:

Research Strategy & Portfolio Oversight

• Oversee the design, coordination, and execution of Imagine’s multi-method research portfolio in Tanzania;
• Ensure high-quality execution of research methodologies, tools, and processes across all studies;
• Provide technical guidance on relevant research methodologies;
• Lead one or more research studies in an area of expertise;
• Ensure research activities align with organizational priorities, government needs, and program expansion goals;
• Contribute to shaping future research priorities and studies as the tablet program evolves;
• Contribute to organizational learning by identifying trends, risks, and opportunities emerging from the research portfolio.

Requirements

The successful candidate will possess the following experiences, competencies, and qualities:

Education and Research Experience

• Master’s degree and minimum 5 years of relevant work experience, including successful management of research projects 
• A Research Director candidate will have a PhD degree and minimum 5 years of relevant work experience, including directing research and publishing
• Degree in sociology, psychology, public policy, education, or a related field 

Research and Management Skills 

• Strong project management skills, including managing contracts and budgets (required)
• Strong communication skills (required), including communication with colleagues across multiple countries and diverse in-country stakeholders, the latter including government officials 
• Strong qualitative and/or quantitative skills (preferably both), demonstrated through work product (required)
• Experience with qualitative or quantitative data analysis using Excel or other software (required), including use of descriptive and inferential statistics (preferred)
• Strong writing skills (required)
• Experience with research in school settings (preferred)

Qualities

•  Passion for Imagine’s mission and vision 
•  Demonstrated commitment to equity in educational access and outcomes
• Passion for project management
• Demonstrated ability to think independently and solve problems
• Collaborative team player; clear and proactive communicator
• Flexible, adaptable, and able to work in a fast-paced, changing environment

 

Compensation & Benefits

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience.

 

Location

Residence in Tanzania required. Option to work remotely from home, in the Imagine Tanzania office, or a hybrid of the two. Imagine Worldwide is a California-based (United States) nonprofit organization and several Imagine research team members are based in California. Candidates will need to be available for some virtual meetings between 5pm and 8pm Eastern Africa Time.

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Imagine Worldwide is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.